Improvement in car-springs



W. PALMER.

Gar-Springs.

Patented April 21,1874.

No.l49,95l.

M45/www.

UNITED S'IFA'IES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM PALMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-SPRINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,95 l, dated AprilF21, 1874; application'iiled February 19, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM PALMER, of the city and State of New York,have invented an Improvement in Car-Springs, of which the following is aspecication:

This spring, which I term the graduated car-spring, is made withreference to producing an accumulated resistance as the load increases;and consists in groups of india-rubber springs, of different relativelengths, kept apart by divisions, and acted upon by a follower havinggrooves or channels in line with the division-plates, so that thelongest of the said springs are operative with a light load, and asthese are compressed by the accumulation of weight the follower takes abearing upon the springs next in length. Thereby the supporting power isaugmented as the load increases. By this construction the springs areequally efficient with light or heavy loads, whereas the ordinary rubbercar-spring that is sufficient to bear heavy loads is not adapted tolighter loads, being too rigid to yield properly under a lighter weight.

In the drawing, Figure l is a plan of the groups of springs, and Fig. 2is a cross-section of the springs, case, and follower.

The case a is of suitable size and shape for receiving the groups ofsprings, and the follower b, that is adapted to move up and down in thatcase. These groups of springs c c, d d, and e, are made of blocks,prisms, or tubes of india rubber. The springs of the outer groups, c c,are longer than the springs in the groups d d, and those in the groups eare the shortest. The partition-plates fit' between the respectivegroups prevent the rubber of the springs c pressing out laterally andextending over the upper ends of the springs d, and the follower b isgrooved or channeled inline with these plates, so as to pa-ss downbetween them. lt will be apparent that the follower b will only restupon the groups of springs c with a light load, and that as these arecompressed by greater weight the follower b takes a bearing against thesprings of the groups cl, and thereby the yielding supporting-power ofthe car-spring is augmented, and so on, as range after range iscompressed and the next range or group comes into action the power ofthe car-spin g is' increased.

This spring is especially adapted to passenger-cars, because the carwill ride as easily when almost empty as when full; but the spring maybe applied on locomotive-engines, or on any vehicle to which it isadapted.

I claim as'my invention- A car-spring composed of groups of indiarubbersprings that vary in length, and are separated by partition-plates, incombination with a follower having grooves or channels in line with thepartition-plates, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 16th day oi' February, A. D. 1874.

WM. PALMER.

Witnesses Guo. T. PINCKNEY, GHAs. H. SMITH.

